David welch



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. D. WELC'H.

STEERING GEAR FOR VESSELS.

Patented May 19,1891.

flavz d Wat 4. lnventor.

Witnesses.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

1). WELGH. STEERING GEAR FOR YESSELS. No. 452,742. Patented May 19,1891.

' Witnesses. flaw! WM Inventor.

M WMJM d /W Attorney,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID WELOH, OF BUFFALO, NElV YORK, ASSI GNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ERNEST L.PARRISH, OF SAME PLACE.

STEERING-GEAR FOR VESSELS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 452,742, dated May 19,1891. Application filed J1me 1'7, 1890. Serial No. 355,730. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, DAVID WELcH, a citizen of the United States,residing in Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvementsin Steering-Gear forFloating Vessels Operated by the Combined Action of Steam and Water, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention consists in certain improvements in steering-gear operatedby hydraulic pressure and to certain details of construction relatingthereto, all of which willbe fully and clearly hereinafter described andclaimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in whichFigure l is a detached sectional elevation of a hydraulic pump, itsvalve, and connections, showing the valve in position for admittingliquid to the piston in the direction of the arrow o. Fig. 2 is anenlarged transverse section through the valve.' Fig. 3 is an enlargedlongitudinal central section through the valve. Fig. t is a top planview of two portions of a vessel, showing a similar view of myimprovement connected therewith. Fig. 5 is a front view of the usualsteering-wheel, showing the cables connected therewith for steering theboat without the hydraulic device. Fig. (i is a sectional elevationshowing the arm for operating the valve of the hydraulic mechanism forsteering the boat and also for starting or stopping'the pony-pump at thesame time.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the hydraulic cylinder, withinwhich the pistonhead 2 travels back and forth, being nicely fittedwithin it, in the usual way, with the ordinary packing-1'ings orpacking, so as to fit and move as near water-tight as practicable. Thiscylinder 1 is preferably made of castiron, as being the cheapestand bestmaterial.

To the piston-head 2 is rigidly secured the hollow or partly hollowpiston-rods 3, into which the flexible connection or cables 4: aresecured in any well-known way. If desired, the piston-rods 3 may be madesolid with an eye at the ends, and the chains or cables 4 securedthereto in any well-known or ordinary way.

The cylinder-heads 5 are secured to the cylinder by bolts 6, (see Fig.1,) and to each head of the cylinder is secured by means of an elbow 7 adownwardly-projecting pipe 7, both vertical pipes being connected byelbows 8 with the horizontal pipes 8, to which the valve-case fl issecured in the ordinary way.

The'valve-case 0 (see Figs. 1, 2, and 3) is provided with twoinlet-ports 10, which lead into the hydraulic cylinder 1. At the lowerpart of the valve is an exhaust-port 11, with which is connected thesuction-pipe 12, (see Fig. 4:, in which this suction-pipe is bettershown,) and at the top of the valve is the outlet-port 13, with whichthe discharge-pipe 1 1 is connected. (Also shown in Fig. 4..)

The valve 15 is fitted within the valve-case substantially as shown inFigs. 1, 2, and 3, and is operated by the valve stem or shaft 16, whichis rigidly secured to the valve and mounted in bearings in the case andprotected from leakage by a stuffing-box 17. To the valvestem 16 isrigidly attached an arm 18 for operating the valve 15. (See Fig. 1, alsoFigs. i and 6.) At the lower end of the operating-arm 18 is adownwardly-projecting portion 19, (see Fig. 6,)-which projects down intoan opening 20 through the bar 20. (See Fig. 4.) The opposite end of thebar 20 is pivoted by a pin 21 to an arm 22, pivoted by a pin 23 to anysuitable support. The opposite end of this arm 22 is pivoted by a pin 21to rod 25,which is mounted in bearings so as to lie lengthwise of thecylinder and be moved longitudinally back and forth in its bearings.

To the rod 25 is rigidly fixed two arms 26 and 2G. (Shown in Fig. 1.)The piston-rods 3 pass through the ends of the arms 26 and 26. At theends of each of the piston-rods 3 is a flanged portion 27. The object ofthis construction is to provide the means for shutting off the steam,andconsequently the action of the hydraulic cylinder, by turning theoperating-arm 18 to its vertical or normal position whenever the piston2 has reached the limit of its movement either way. For instance, if theoperating-arm 18 is brought to the position shown in Fig. 0 by thedotted line 28 and the piston 2 in moving toward the limit of itsmovement, it will cause the end of the IOC arm 26, when the flangeportion 27 reaches it to move the rod 25, and through it the arm '22 andbar 2%, which will bring the operatingarm 18 to its vertical position,and thereby shut off the action of the steam and Wtt(1,tIltlconsequently the action of the device, and leaving the arm 18 in itsnormal position, or in the position to be again used when required forsteering the boat in either direction. This action of the arm 18 alsoshuts the steam off from the pony-pump 29 (see Figs. 4: and 6) by meansof a short arm 30, rigidly connected to the valve-shaft 16 and jointedby a pin Sl to a connecting-rod 32,

which is jointed by a pin 0-) to an arm 3i, which opens and closes thevalve of the pony-pump 29. From this construction it will be seen thatby moving the arm 18 either way the arm 30 will also move and operatethe valve as above mentioned, so that both the hydraulic valve and thesteam-valve are operated at the same time.

The tiller-arm 36 is operated by means of a sleeve 37, adapted to slidefreely along the arm. To this sleeve is connected a chain or cable 138,which passes therefrom over friction-ro1lers 39 S0, and from thence toand over friction-rollers 40 40*,and from thence to the usualwinding-drum 4.1, where it is. connected so that by turning thedrum-wheel f either way the rudder can be operated in the usual way.

My improved steering device is also combined with the tiller-arm, beingconnected therewith by the chains or cables at, which pass from thepiston-rods 3 to and over the friction-rollers a3 43, and from thenceback to and over the friction-pulleys i2 i2, and from thence to aquadrant ll, which is rigidly secured to the tiller-post 45 by means ofthe straps $6 46 and the bolts l7. (See Fig. l.) The cables at areattached each to the side corners it)" of the quadrant, so that as thepiston-rods 3 are moved back and forth in the hydraulic cylinder therudder may be turned either way, the movements being about fortyfivedegrees, more or less. Connecting with the pipe 7 is arranged arelief-pipe l8, having a shut-off valve l9. (See Fig. 1.) Should thepump 20 become disabled or the mechanism connected with itssteering-gear require rcpairs, the relief-valve 459 could be opened andthe water or other liquid would be allowed to pass freely from one sideof the follower to the other through the reliefpipe. In this case theboat can be steered by the usual steeringdrum wheel f, its cables, andconnecting parts, which are combined with and form part of the steeringdevice, so that either one or both operate together.

In operation, when it is desired to steer a boat equipped with myimprovement,the operator has simply to turn the arm 18 in the requireddirection, thus opening the valve 35 and admitting steam to the pump 29,which draws the water from one side of the piston 2 in the cylinder 1and forces it into the opposite side, and by reversing the movement ofthe arm 18 the action of the water is reversed. The operation of thevalve will be plainly understood from the drawings. By this c011-struction the use of a pressuretank is avoided, and the same water iscontinually used by being forced in at one end of the cylinder at thesame time it is drawn from the other end, the same being alternatelyforced and drawn from opposite ends of the cylinder by the action of thepony-pump.

By connecting the steering-wheel and its cables connected withtiller-bar with the hydraulic steering apparatus, so that either can beused at will, either one can be used when the other is disabled, which avery important advantage.

I claim as my invention 1. A steering-gear for floating vessels,consisting in the combination of a hydraulic cylinder provided with apiston-head having piston-rods projecting from both sides and passingthrough the eylinder-heads, cables conneeting with the ends of thepiston-rods and passing over friction-rollers to and connecting with thetiller-arm,a steam-pump for forcing water to the hydraulic cylinder andconnected thereto by a discharge and suction pipe, an

operating'arm connected to the valve-stem of the hydraulic cylinder forcontrolling the action of the same so as to move the hydraulic piston ineither direction, and an arm connected with the operating-arm so as tobe operated thereby and connected with the steamvalve for admitting orshutting off steam from the steam-pump and thereby controlling itsaction at the same time, substantially as described.

2. A steering-gear for floating vessels, consisting in the combinationof a hydraulic cyl inder provided with a piston having pistonrodsprojecting from both sides and passing through the cylinder-heads,cables connecting with the ends of the piston-rods and passing overfriction-rollers to and connecting with the tiller-arm, a steam-pump forforcing water to the hydraulic cylinder and connected thereto by adischarge and suction pipe, an operating-arm connected to the valve-stemof the hydraulic cylinder, having a lower portion projecting into aslotted bar having its opposite end pivoted to a pivoted arm, a rodmounted in bearings in the cylinder-heads so as to move back and forthlengthwise of the cylinder, and provided with arms 20 26, flangedportions 27 on the piston-rods, and an arm connected with theoperating-arm so as to be operated thereby, connecting by aconnecting-rod with the valve for admitting or shutting off steam fromthe steam pump, whereby the steam is automatically shut off and theaction of the device stopped when the hydraulic piston has reached thelimit of its movement either way, substantially as described.

3. In a steering apparatus, the combination of a double-acting hydrauliccylinder, pipes IIO connected with opposite ends of the cylinder, Intestimony whereof I have signed my a valve connecting With ports leadingto opname to this specification in the presence of posite ends of thesame, and a pony-pu1np two subscribing witnesses.

connected by a discharge and suction pipe DAVID WELGH. 5 with the Valvefor alternately supplying and \Vitnesses:

drawing the water from opposite ends of the OTTO HODDICK,

cylinder, substantially as described. ERNEST L. PARRISH.

